T.R. McGrath knows about family and about clambakes. McGrath Clambakes Inc., doing business as McGrath Clambakes & Catering, has been putting on clambakes in Rhode Island since the Newport Pell Bridge was built. And McGrath, owner and bakemaster, sees a connection. As he related, his dad, Tom McGrath, who learned the art of “clambaking” from his father, Tom, saw the opening of the Newport bridge in the summer of 1969 as the opening of a gateway to the City by the Sea.
“He felt the opening of the bridge was the springboard for McGrath Clambakes as well. With the ability of a lot more people [to get to Newport], he could see that tourism starting to kick off,” T.R. McGrath said.
The elder McGrath had put on clambakes for informal gatherings of family and friends and was the “go-to” person in Newport who knew how to put on a bake and had a group of friends at the ready to assist. His son, T.R. McGrath’s father, turned it into the family business.
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SEAFOOD FEAST: Crew members from McGrath Clambakes prepare a seafood feast at Fort Adams in Newport on Aug. 29 to celebrate the company’s 50th anniversary. / COURTESY MCGRATH CLAMBAKES/COLLEEN MCGRATH[/caption]
McGrath Clambakes celebrated its 50th anniversary on Aug. 29 with a public clambake at The Eisenhower House overlooking Fort Adams. The sold-out event fed over 300 people.
What makes a real clambake? Some insist on lobster being on the menu. Others say it must take place at the beach. There are several essential elements to a clambake. The clambake is one of several feasts referred to as “contraption cuisine,” in which specialized equipment is required. The pig roast is an example, as is the bean-hole bake, in which crocks of legumes are slow-cooked pit-style. The Louisiana crawfish boil and Southern barbecue also come under the classification. They all have common elements such as fire and outdoor cooking. McGrath says the clambake is more of an indigenous feast, as is the Hawaiian luau and its New Zealand cousin, the hangi.
“All these cultures put on a big feast for a large gathering [while utilizing] what is at hand to cook and to eat,” he said.
McGrath Clambakes is one of the few companies that utilizes the traditional cooking process that can be traced back some 2,000 years when Native Americans cooked seafood over a fire built in a pit. Now, it begins when crews gather fresh “rockweed.” Rockweed is a type of seaweed that retains tiny pockets of seawater. A bonfire is built with alternating layers of wood and rock. The fire heats the rocks, which are then covered with the rockweed. A popping sound is heard from the briny bubbles bursting when they come in contact with the hot rocks, emitting steam that cooks the food. The clambake crew then works quickly to nestle racks of food into the rockweed. The whole thing is then covered with layers of canvas for several hours.
The menu can vary. Center stage, of course, are the clams – McGrath uses Spinney Creek softshell steamed clams from Maine and Prince Edward Island mussels. There is always local sweet corn on the cob, red bliss potato and a Rhode Island lobster. Here is where the variables come in. McGrath serves chourico, the Portuguese spicy sausage and barbecued chicken. Other bakes include a Saugy-type natural casing hot dog and other sausage, from Italian to a veal sausage known as a “buckie,” and a fish filet, usually cod.
McGrath Clambakes caters events ranging from weddings and large corporate parties to informal gatherings. The company employs more than 90 people.
Bruce Newbury’s “Dining Out” radio talk show is heard Saturdays at 11 a.m. on 1540 AM WADK, on radio throughout New England, through various mobile applications and his podcast. Email Bruce at Bruce@brucenewbury.com.
